Combination garment



Oct. 10, 1933. H. M MoDoNALD COMBINATION GARMENT Filed Jan Patented ct. 10, 'i933 co @animar d Claims.

Combination garments formed of woven fabric have been in use. As generally constructed they do not aiord the required yield to movements of the body to provide the desired degree of com\ fort. Particularly is this true when the body of the wearer assumes a`sitting or-stooping posture. Moreover, in twisting the bodythe ordinary Woven garment does not follow the body and discomfort, Vbecause of distortion of the garment, follows. i

The present invention'aims to provide a novel combination garment the construction of which is such as to overcome the objections noted, and to embody therein features of structure by which the garment will t snugly the wearer and be capable of ready yield to the body movements.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing end, the invention contemplates provision for yielding movement of the garment not only in the direction of the length of the body, but aiso crosswise thereof, so that whether the body be bent over, as in stooping or sitting, be moved from side to side, or twisted, the garment will conform to such movements and then return to a normal position corresponding to the'normal position or posture of the body.

' Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of the improvementsis better understood, the invention consisting substantially in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described', illustrated in the.- accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

in the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a combination garment embodying the features of the present invention, viewing the same from the back of the garment;

Fig.`2 is a similar view, looking at the garment from the front thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the garment;

Fig. i is a similar view taken atright angles to the line of section of Fig. 3, as on the line 4 4, Fig. 3; .and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation,

the scale being reduced to that of the other' gures. u,

Referring in detail to the accompanyingdrawing, the numeral 10 designates the shirt portion` of the garment, and 11 the parts thereof. The

shirt portion may take other forms and be an" abbreviated upper supporting portion of the garment such as in womens apparel. .The garment, as suggested, is a combination one, the shirt and of conventional formation and structure except as modified to include the present invention.

A girdle l2 is interposed between the shirt 10 and pants ll, at the front of the garment, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4i, being seamed to these portions of the garment as at 13 and 14, 65

respectively. Any suitable form of stitching may be employed for effecting the seams referred to.

At the back of the garment, and suitably seamed to the shirt 10 and pants 11, as at 15 and 16, re-

spectively, is an elastic waist band 17. ThisV band 'Z0 extends across the entire back of the garment and around to the sides thereof where its ends terminate immediately below the armholes of the shirt 10. At such points-the ends of the waist band 17 are providedl with upwardly extending right angular tapering gores 18, the edges of which are seamed to the front and back portions of the shirt 10, as at 19 and 20, respectively. The top ends of the gores 18 extend into. the lower end portions of the armholes of thershirt 10, and by reason of this construction the gores i8 constitute the sole connecting means between the front and back portions of the shirt Y 10 at the arm holes. This permits the front and back of the shirt readily to yield with respect to each other at the arm holes. S5

The crotch of the pants 11 is constituted by a il-shaped gore 21,`clearly illustratedin Figs.

3 and l, and relatively wide, as shown in Fig. 3, the gore 21 being also of elastic material, and

thereby providing for yielding movement be-90 tween the front andbaek portions of the pants 11- at the crotch. The gore 21 is secured to the front and back portions of the pants 1l -by seams 22 and 23, respectively. Due to the provision of the gore 21 at the crotch, when the wearer of 95 the garment stoops or bends, the gore 21 will yield, so' as to aord ready conformation of thev pants to the posture of thebo'dy, andwhen the l latter returns to normal position, the elastic crotch 21 will contract in ,order to retain the 100 pants portion in propert' to the legs of the user and be free from distortion with respect to the body.

To provide of the leg portions about the legs of the wearer, 110

` for further yield of the leg portions of the pants, each leg portion has a V- the legs of the pants, and thereby conform the but permit yielding movement of the leg portions with respect to the legs of the wearer.

It has been stated that the invention contemplates provision for yielding movement of the garment not only in the direction of the length of the body, but also crosswise thereof. The elastic waist band 17 with its gores 18; the elastic crotch 21, and the outer gores 24 are responsible for this. The fabric of which the waist band 1'7, the crotch 21, and the gores 18 and 24 are formed, is of such character as to yield elastically in both a vertical direction of the body, and in a direction crosswise of the same. In short, the elastic fabric is capable of two-Way stretching. By reason of this, the hereindescribed garment will permit the free body movements and conform to the same with the desired degree of comfort of the garment on the wearer, whether the body assumes a sitting or stooping posture, whether it be moved from side to side, or whether it be twisted. When the body is relaxed and assumes its normal position the garment follows the movements of the body and likewise returns to normal position. The tapering' gores 18 associated with the waist band 17 contribute particularly to the yield of the garment and its conformation to the body movements as the body moves to bending or stooping position, andas the body descends, when moving to a sitting position, it is apparent that the elastic crotch 21 will alford yielding movement between the front and rear portions of pants to the sitting posture of the body. Obviously, by reason of the ready conformation of to present a symmetrical appearance and effectv positioning of the garment in relation to the lines of the body. In seaming the waist band 17 to the shirt 10 and pants 11, as at 15 and 16, thefullness of the'shirt and the pants is taken 'up by a series of gathers or folds 25 and 26. As

the garment is entirely free of fastenings for holding the same in place on the body of the wearer, the gathers 25 and 26 will permit the garment to yield in a. crosswise direction as thev waist band 17 is stretched outwardly or extended, due to the upward movement of the garment over the body as the shirt 10 is pulled upwardly over the legs and the body to its applied position when in use. As the waist band l'lvmoves to the waistline of the body, it contracts over the hips, thus bringing the shirt '10 and the pants 11 into a snug t on the body and maintaining the same in such position with respect to the Waistline.

It has been 'indicated that the fabric, of which the waist band 17, the crotch 21, and the gores 18 and 24 are formed, is of such character as to yield elastically in -both a vertical directionof the body, and in a direction crosswise of the same. To permit this, the fabric possesses caf pacity for stretching in two directions, one of these directions being at substantial right angles tothe other.

In adjusting the garment about the person to providefor the natural functionings of thelatter, it will be understood that the elastic crotch 21 and the elastic gores 24 will permit a wide stretching or distension of the leg members, so that each of these members, as occasion may require, may be opened to such an extent as to be moved over the torso to either other leg. Due to this, there is no necessity for employing a crotch opening in the garment.

I claim: l i

1. In a garment, of the class described, the combination with the shirt and pants portions thereof, o1 an elastic ,waist band arranged between the shirt and pants portions and extending across the back of the garment, the edges of the pants and shirt portions being gathered into a series of folds at their point of attachment with the waist band to permit yielding of the Waist band in a horizontal direction, said elastic waist band being formed of yieldable material having capacity for stretching in two directions whereby the garment may yield with the body in both a vertical and horizontal direction.

2. In a garment ofl the class described, the combination of a shirt and pants portions, with the shirt being provided with armholes, of a one piece elastic insert extending across the back between the shirt and pants portions and having right angular end portions extending upwardly to the armholes of the shirt between the front and back thereof, the edges of the pants `and shirt portions being gathered into a series of vertical folds at their point of attachment with the insert to permit yielding of `the waist band in a horizontal direction, said elastic insert being formed of material having capacity for stretching in two directions at right angles to each other, whereby the garment may yield with the body in both a vertical and horizontal direction.

3. In a garment of the class described, the combination of a shirt and pants portions, with the shirt provided with armholes, of a one piece elastic insert extending across the back between the shirt and pants portions and having right angular end portions extending upwardly to the armholes of the shirt between the front and back folds at their point of attachment with the insert,

to permityielding of the waist band in a horizontal direction, and all of said elastic inserts being lformed of a material having capacity for stretching in two directions at right angles to each other, whereby the garment will tightly fit the body in any posture and yield with movement 'of the body to any other posture.

4. In a garment of the class described, the combination with the pants and upper supporting portion thereof, of an elastic waist band arranged between the pants and upperv supporting portion and extending across the-back of the garment, the edges of the pants and upper sup-l porting portion being gathered into a series of folds at their point of attachment with the waist band to permit yielding of the Waist band in a. horizontal direction, said'elastie waist band being formed of yieldable material having capacity for stretching in two directions whereby the garment may yield with the body in botha verticalf-5 and horizontal direction.

' HERMAN M. MCDONALD. 

